Kyle Larson Sides With Frenemy Denny Hamlin as Dale Earnhardt Jr and Co’s Valiant Effort at North Wilkesboro Reaps Success

Ford continued its impressive run as Joey Logano registered an impressive run in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. While Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson finished in the top five, both drivers looked happy with one specific scenario at the repaved track. Undoubtedly, the credit goes to Dale Earnhardt Jr and his team for making the exhibition race an exciting one.

Ironically, Larson faced a race against time on Sunday as he battled to reach North Wilkesboro on time after his Indy 500 commitments. While he managed to reach the iconic track just an hour before the race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver did well to finish third in the All-Star race.

Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin get on the same page after a “fun” race at North Wilkesboro Speedway

It is no secret how Dale Earnhardt Jr and his camp invested plenty of effort in reviving the North Wilkesboro Speedway. What started as a last-ditch effort to preserve the dilapidated racetrack for the iRacing platform ultimately turned out for the best as NWB Speedway found a new lease of life. And, while the quality of the race remained uncertain, the All-Star Race on Sunday turned out to be a fascinating one because of one specific aspect.

The freshly paved racing surface witnessed the introduction of Goodyear’s “prime” tire. Along with that, the implementation of the newly introduced tire-option strategy did wonders, given the response. Cup Series’ current leader Kyle Larson looked more than impressed with how things turned out on Sunday.

Speaking about the track after the race, Larson said, “Well, I feel like the repave is awesome. This track is the raciest, repaved track I have ever run. So, hats off to the whole crew here, and yeah that was a lot of fun getting a race forward.” While he complimented the replacement, he couldn’t help but admire the tire-option strategy.

The #5 driver said, “And then the option tires I thought were really exciting, so the strategy of it was fun. I was surprised by how well the #22 [Logano] and #12 [Ryan Blaney], I mean I think they ran on reds the whole race. So they did a good job with that.”

Additionally, Larson made some suggestions that could benefit in the near future. He said, “I think if you were to continue with an option tire, you would want a tire that’s maybe even softer stickier faster but wears out or something to where they at to pit or they fall off a shelf as far as lap time goes.” 

While the HMS driver spoke highly about the tires, even Cup Series rival Denny Hamlin spoke on similar lines. Speaking after the race about the tires, he said, “Hats off to Goodyear and NASCAR for trying this. It certainly was a great experiment that certainly we can learn from for future short race.”

In fact, it was not just Larson and Hamlin but many other drivers who spoke positively about the option tires.

The introduction of option tires proves to be a success at the All-Star race

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Joey Logano had a stunning run on Sunday, having led all but one lap out of the 200 laps. Despite his dominance, the option tire strategy seems to have grabbed a lot of attention. While Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin liked this approach, so did a few others, including Noah Gragson.

Speaking about the option tires after the race, the #10 driver said, “I felt they are a positive so there’s no complaints from my end. I think soft tire was a lot of fun and will be really good at every track. So, we always ask for more, more, more, but we’ve just got to appreciate what we’ve got. What we got tonight was better than we had at any other race.”

Another driver to sing praises for the tires on Sunday was Corey LaJoie. While he was unsuccessful in qualifying for the All-Star Race, he only had positive things to say about the tires. He said, “I thought the difference in speed was really good. So kudos to NASCAR, kudos to Goodyear for bringing them.” In fact, LaJoie went on to add that he would “love to” see them used on the short tracks.

While drivers and crew chiefs loved the option tire idea, it is important to note that there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to make it a grand success. However, it is the beginning of better things to come. Should NASCAR use this idea more frequently on short tracks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.